CHILDREN OF TIME (2025 Edition) by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 1 – BE FAMOUS OR INFAMOUS…

10:28 (Standard Eastern Time)

Saturday, September 6, 2014 ‘A’

Hélico Pro flying school, St-Mathieu de Beloeil

South shore of Montreal, Province of Quebec

Canada

Nancy landed the Hughes MD-500 light helicopter as smoothly as she could, then throttled down the engine to idle before looking at her flight instructor and speaking to him in French.

‘’Should I take off again and do another landing, Régis?’’

The instructor, scribbling a few last notes on his pad, shook his head and smiled to her.

‘’No need to, Nancy: your landing was near perfect. In fact, you proved to be a talented student from the start. You have first class eye-hand coordination and sense of equilibrium, which helped you a lot in your flying lessons. You said before that you practice skydiving and pistol shooting, right?’’

‘’Correct! I also practice gymnastics.’’

Régis Tremblay nodded once his head while discreetly admiring Nancy Laplante. She was tall for a woman, measuring a full 183 centimeters, and had a strong, athletic body and wide shoulders. She however also had very feminine curves, with a generous, firm chest, wide hips and long legs. Her face was more than pretty, with sparkling green eyes and long, silky black hair, but it also reflected assurance, intelligence and strength of character. She in fact reflected perfectly her reputation as a woman of action and incredible courage. Apart from having seen many of her reports as a war correspondent from various war zones around the World, Régis had also seen last July the movie ‘CROSSROADS’, in which she had performed a mind-blowing stunt as part of her first cinematic role in her new career as a part-time actress. There were in fact many rumors floating about her second movie, which was due in theatres next Spring.

‘’Well, Nancy, I can tell you right now that you passed your final piloting test brilliantly and just earned your helicopter private pilot’s license. Congratulations!’’

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‘’Thanks, Régis!’’ she replied with a big smile while shaking hands with her instructor. ‘’I have wanted that license for quite a while now. It will complement nicely my light aircraft license.’’

‘’Are you planning to eventually buy a helicopter of your own, Nancy? Your new career in Hollywood should give you the means to do so now.’’ Nancy grinned and pointed an accusing finger at Régis.

‘’You are trying to milk information about my new film, right, Régis?’’

‘’Me? Never!’’ lied the instructor. ‘’Just out of curiosity, how much did they pay you to play the role of the Shadow Dancer in CROSSROADS, if I may ask?’’

‘’Not that much, really. Don’t forget that it was my debut as an actress and that I was a total unknown in Hollywood, with no training in acting at all. The reason I was approached for the role was because of my physical combat abilities and athletic looks. I could also thank that BBC news video that showed me shooting down those Taliban bastards in Afghanistan, when I was still an officer in the Canadian Army.’’

‘’I saw it on YouTube.’’ said Régis, grinning. ‘’That was some pretty incredible pistol shooting, in fact. May I say that I loved watching you in CROSSROADS: for a beginning actress, you played very professionally, in my opinion.’’

‘’Thank you!’’ replied Nancy, her pride swelling. ‘’I must say that reporting from the field and interviewing various warlords, politicians and generals accustomed me to work in front of a camera.’’

There were also other factors at play to explain her ease in front of a camera but she was not about to talk to Régis about them. In truth, her life as a war correspondent and part-time actress in this century took less than half of her time, the rest being spent either in the future, in the 34th Century, or in various periods of the past, as the senior field agent and co-founder of the Time Patrol. Thankfully, the genetic longevity treatment she had received in 3384, a treatment standard for all the citizens of the Global Council, the civilization which spanned the whole Solar System in the 34th Century, allowed her not to burn herself quickly despite living two widely separate lives. This was not however her only secret. Thanks to a profound, life-changing experience in the year 1941 of Timeline ‘B’, one of the two parallel timelines which now existed beside the original timeline of Humanity, Nancy held a number of fantastic mental and physical powers. As a Chosen of The One, the immensely powerful, nearly omnipotent spiritual entity who had been shepherding Humanity for millions of years, Nancy possessed incredible strength and speed, could fly, move objects with her mind, communicate

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telepathically and heal herself and others by the touch of her hands, among other things. Her mind had also been opened by The One to the souvenirs of her past incarnations, which covered 92 past lives spread over 9,000 years. Her linguistic talents, which had already been formidable as a normal girl thanks to her I.Q. of 153 and phenomenal memory, now included knowledge of over eighty languages and dialects, most of them forgotten in the 21st Century. A number of her past lives had been as a musician or as a dancer, thus giving her an experience as a public performer which was now proving invaluable in her new, part-time career as an actress specializing in action roles.

Shutting down the engine of the helicopter, Nancy closed all the circuits before unbuckling her harness and stepping out on the concrete pavement of the tarmac. She then accompanied Régis Tremblay towards the club house of the flying school. Régis was however not giving up on his attempts at learning more about her second film.

‘’So, now that you proved your worth in CROSSROADS, I hope that Disney is paying you a decent salary for your second role, Nancy.’’

‘’I effectively was able to get a good sum for playing in AVENGERS 2, Régis. While my salary is still small compared to that of my main costars, it is in the high six figures. Mind you, I am not in it strictly for the money: acting is for me a way to earn a living while cutting down a bit on the amount of insane risks I took in various war zones as a war correspondent or, until I left the Canadian Army early this year, as a military officer. I am still in top shape at the age of 32, but I have to start slowing down a bit if I want to survive in one piece for more than a few years.’’

‘’So, you intend to leave for good the business of war reporting, Nancy?’’

‘’I didn’t say that, Régis. War reporting will always be in my blood. While few people realized it, my military career as a reserve military intelligence officer took a lot of my time, much of which was spent on overseas deployments and operations. I was however coming to the point as an officer where I would have been mostly stuck behind a desk, something I would positively hate. Since I also hate being idle, I took the chance of a career as an actress as a way to fill my life after leaving the army.’’

‘’And AVENGER 2, is it still scheduled for a May release?’’

‘’It is! The production and filming are nearly completed and the film will soon be in the editing stage. I think that you will like it, Régis.’’

‘’I’m sure I will, Nancy: I loved the first AVENGER, as well as your acting in CROSSROADS, so I certainly am waiting impatiently to see you in AVENGER 2.’’

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Nancy smiled and patted his shoulder as he opened the door of the club house for her.

‘’I will make sure to send you two tickets for the advanced premiere in Montreal, Régis.’’

That apparently pleased the flying instructor to no small degree. Going to the reception counter of the flying school, Régis spoke briefly to the secretary, getting from her a pilot certificate which he dated and signed, plus a plasticized license card, before making a couple of copies of it, then giving the original and the card to Nancy while shaking her hand.

‘’You are now officially a qualified helicopter pilot, Nancy. Congratulations!’’

‘’Thank you very much, Régis. You were a very nice instructor, truly. I certainly intend to come often to rent a helicopter and practice my flying skills.’’

‘’Just call in advance and we will have a machine ready for you, Nancy.’’

After putting the plasticized card in her wallet and her precious new license in the briefcase she had left with the secretary before going for her flying examination, Nancy left the club house and went to her red Mitsubishi OUTLANDER 2010, parked nearby in the parking lot of the flying school. Feeling happy about herself, she decided to go celebrate her new pilot license in Montreal and, starting her V6 engine, backed out of her parking spot and left the small local aerodrome, taking the nearby highway leading towards the island of Montreal. She soon was crossing the St-Lawrence River, using the Louis-Hyppolite-Lafontaine tunnel-bridge, to finally park in the large lot of the Place Versailles commercial center, in the East end of Montreal. Locking up her car, Nancy then walked to the nearby subway station, going down the steps to the underground quays. Thirty minutes later, she was going off the subway at the McGill Station, in downtown Montreal. Emerging into the open air on a sidewalk of Ste-Catherine Street, the main commercial artery of the city, she walked briskly along the shops, restaurants and clubs lining the street, her long silky hair flying in the fresh wind. A dense crowd of pedestrians was walking along the sidewalks, gazing at the shops’ windows or going into the various shopping plazas, restaurants and cinemas lining the street. Nancy finally pulled open a door and went down a long, steep staircase, entering the underground dining room of the REUBENS delicatessen restaurant, one of her favorite eating places and one justly famous for its smoked meat sandwiches. A few persons were already waiting in line to be seated in the small, popular and often crowded restaurant. Nancy waited patiently a few minutes and was finally led to one of the rather tight alcoves,

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sitting down at a two-seat table. She immediately gave her order, knowing in advance what she wanted: a juicy, mouth-filling smoked meat sandwich with a poutine, a plate of French fries topped with cheese and gravy that was a Quebec specialty. That was not exactly a healthy menu but today was an occasion worthy of indulging. She also ordered a beer to go with her order.

Her order was delivered quickly and she eagerly grabbed the thick smoked meat sandwich, with the piled thin slices of smoked meat literally overflowing from the two slices of rye bread splattered with mustard. Opening her mouth wide in order to be able to bite in the more than ten-centimeter-thick sandwich, she closed her eyes to savor fully the juicy, spicy meat. She was taking her third bite in her sandwich when a Haredim Jew, easily recognizable by his black hat, long black coat and twin side braids, stopped near her table to glow at her, hatred in his eyes. His tone was definitely unfriendly when he addressed her in a loud voice, making the other customers and the waitresses around turn their heads towards him.

‘’Are you Nancy Laplante?’’

Already seeing where this could lead, Nancy calmly put down her sandwich and wiped her hands with her napkin while answering the man, returning his stare.

‘’Yes, I am. What can I do for you, mister?’’

‘’You could choke on your sandwich and die, you Jew hater and stooge of Iran!’’ Anger filled Nancy as the manager of the restaurant started hurrying towards her table, intent on restraining the ultra-orthodox man before he could start a serious incident. There had been bad blood between Nancy and the Israeli government since November of last year, when the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, had learned by sheer luck that she was a time traveler and then had kidnapped her during a visit by her to Israel as a war correspondent for CNN. The Mossad had been fully prepared to torture her to get the secrets of time travel out of her, then to kill her and make her disappear. Nancy had however turned the tables on her captors, killing two of them before escaping and continuing her reporting trip despite the best efforts of the Mossad to capture her again. Out of frustration, the Israelis had then publicly accused her of being a supporter of terrorist groups and a murderer of two Israeli officials, something that had briefly put her on the Interpol international wanted list. Her reports from Lebanon and then Iran, where she had been able to secure interviews with many high-level officials and even make officially-sanctioned visits to secret Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, had

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subsequently earned her a high-level prize in journalism. However, those same reports had seriously embarrassed the Israeli government, which was at the time at war with Iran after bombing repeatedly Iranian nuclear facilities. It had also invaded Southern Lebanon for the fourth time in history, after the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah organization had retaliated for the airstrikes on Iran with a barrage of rockets and missiles against Israel. The American CIA, which had learned about Nancy’s special talents through a mole inside the Mossad, had managed to have Nancy taken off the Interpol list and other no-fly lists, mostly by pretending she was a CIA agent, but the Israeli government was still after her, doing its best to smear her name, especially via the various Jewish lobbying groups in Canada and the United States. While Israel had been forced to sign an armistice with Iran and Lebanon, thanks partly to Nancy’s reports, which had discredited its arguments to attack Iran, it was still very much an enemy of Nancy. As a consequence, this was not the first time, by far, that she had to confront persons accusing her of being against Israel, or worse, of being a friend of Iran or of terrorist groups.

‘’Listen, mister. You are free to believe the lies told by the Israeli government about me, but here in Canada we have something called the freedom of the press, contrary to Israel, where the medias are subject to military censorship. What I reported were the simple facts, no more, no less.’’

‘’YOU REPEATED THE LIES OF THE IRANIANS, YOU BITCH!’’ Shouted angrily the Haredim before grabbing her glass of beer and splashing its content in her face, soaking her T-shirt. Now truly angry, Nancy jumped up on her feet and grabbed the man by his collar, then forced him down on his knees with a strength that left the man stunned with surprise and fear.

‘’I am getting seriously tired of ignorant and intolerant morons like you, mister. Get out before I am tempted to give you the lesson you richly deserve.’’ She then violently pushed him back, making him fall on his back in the narrow alley between the rows of alcoves. Before the man could get up again and attack her, the manager, a tall, big man, grabbed him from behind and forcibly turned him towards the exit.

‘’Get the hell out before I call the police, you idiot!’’

‘’How could a Jew like you allow this woman in your restaurant?’’ replied the Haredim while being pushed towards the exit. ‘’She’s a murderer of Jews!’’

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‘’Shut up and leave!’’ said the manager before forcing the man up the stairs. He was back two minutes later, obviously frustrated, then went to Nancy’s table to present her his excuses.

‘’I am deeply sorry for this, miss. I will get you a fresh beer right away. The bill for your meal is on the house, of course.’’

‘’That won’t be necessary, mister: you were not at fault here. I will pay my bill but will accept another beer. Now, if you will excuse me for a minute or two, I’m going to clean up a bit.’’

Going to the women’s public washrooms situated just outside the underground level exit of the restaurant, Nancy took off her soaked T-shirt and bra and splashed water on her head and torso, trying to remove as much as possible of the beer covering her. She however still had a slight smell of beer coming from her hair when she was done. Her T-shirt, which she had washed and dried as best she could, was now wet all over. Sighing with frustration at that Haredim idiot for spoiling what should have been a happy day for her, she made her mind to go to a nearby shop after her meal to buy a new T-shirt. Putting back on her bra and moist T-shirt, Nancy returned to the restaurant, to find that her food had been replaced by a fresh sandwich and poutine, along with a new beer. Smiling and nodding to the manager, she sat down at her table and finished her meal, this time without being further disturbed. As she lined up at the cashier to pay her bill afterwards, the sight of big briskets of smoked meat put on sale by the restaurant, which cured its own smoked meat, convinced her that now would be a good occasion to replenish the cold storeroom of the Time Patrol’s secret base’s cafeteria. That base, situated in the future location of the city of Auckland, in New Zealand, was also located five millenniums in the past of the 21st Century, far enough back in time to be able to escape the effects of most potential attempts at manipulating and modifying history. This way, if someone would, say, go to the past to kill Napoleon and thus change history for whatever purpose, the Time Patrol would still be able to react to that, instead of being erased and rewritten like all the historical events in the future of the manipulative action. True to the diversity of its members, the Time Patrol cafeteria and bar regularly stocked up on various specialties from around history, of which smoked meat was a popular item. Nancy thus forked up over three hundred dollars to buy four big smoke meat briskets wrapped under vacuum in plastic, apart from paying for her meal. On second thought, she also bought three complete cheesecakes, another favorite of Time Patrol members,

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two strawberry ones and one of blueberry flavor. Such acquisitions for the Time Patrol were common for her and she was not worried about getting reimbursed for that expense. Now feeling better and having mostly forgotten the Haredim idiot, she left the restaurant, returning to the sidewalk along Ste-Catherine Street.

Her next stop was at a nearby shop selling a variety of T-shirts and which also made T-shirts with custom messages or pictures on them. Browsing through the racks and tablets, Nancy grinned when she saw a particular T-shirt with a five-word message. Grabbing two similar T-shirts in her size, she paid for them and, to the surprise and delight of the male customers in the shop, promptly took off her wet T-shirt and put on one of her new T-shirts before dumping her old one in a garbage can. On a sudden impulse, she then went back to the racks to buy another similar T-shirt, but of smaller size, for her adopted daughter, Ingrid Weiss ‘B’, who was living and working at the secret Time Patrol base. Now wearing proudly her new T-shirt proclaiming ‘BITCH AND PROUD TO BE’, she put back on her coat and walked out of the shop with her bags to continue on her shopping excursion.

Her arms were full of shopping bags when she came back to her condominium suite in Boucherville in late afternoon. She had however left in the back of her car the cases of beer she had bought, beer made by a Quebec micro-brewery whose brands were very popular with the members of the Time Patrol. Putting the lot on her small dining table near the kitchen corner of her lounge, she stored the perishable items in her refrigerator, then went to check her telephone answering machine. Next, she went to her computer to check her emails. The only messages of importance waiting for her were confirmations for her hotel, plane and ship tickets reservation for her incoming trip to Japan, where she was due to pass her official examination to qualify for the sixth Dan to her black belt in Kyokushin karate and to compete in a karate kumite, or full contact fight competition. Printing copies of those confirmations, she next prepared herself a light supper, which she ate while watching the latest news on television. She was nearly done eating when a piece of news from Israel on the BBC News channel made her put down her fork and stare at her television set. It was a small news clip, nearly drowned in the middle of other pieces of news, but it was one that reverberated deep inside her: the body of a man bearing horrific torture marks had been found near Tel Aviv two days ago and had now been identified as that of a Ukrainian ex-arms merchant living in retirement

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in Israel. While the nature of the man’s past had prompted the news report about his death, which would not otherwise have attracted much attention, the death by torture of the said Victor Medveyev meant a lot for Nancy. For one thing, the Israeli Mossad had learned that she was a time traveler through Medveyev, from which Nancy had clandestinely bought sixty AS Val silenced assault rifles in 1992, going back in time to do that buy in order to equip her newborn organization. Unfortunately for Nancy, Medveyev had seen in 2012 the news clip from Afghanistan showing her shooting down three Taliban extremists and had realized that she had not apparently aged one bit in twenty years. Now worried, Nancy thought about who could have tortured and killed Medveyev. She doubted very much that the Mossad had done this: Medveyev was one of their informants and had already sold most of his secrets to the Israelis. The possibility that the CIA would have done this brushed her mind but she dismissed that nearly immediately: the Americans would have been more discreet about it and would have used methods which left little physical marks. If anything, this looked like an execution meant both as a revenge and as a warning to others. In Nancy’s mind, one group popped up at once as a most probable culprit: the Russian secret services, or SVR. Medveyev had dealt mostly in the past in stolen or rerouted Soviet and Russian weapons and had been on the Russians’ wanted list for years. In fact, he had retired to Israel precisely to escape Russian justice, making a deal with the Mossad in order to buy his safety there. With the way that Medveyev had been tortured, Nancy had no doubt that he had told everything he knew to his captors before dying. That meant in turn to Nancy that the Russians now possibly knew her to be a time traveler. Now feeling depressed, Nancy thought about what she could do about this. The short answer was however that she could do little indeed, except avoid as much as possible future travel to Russia. She then realized something that made her swear quietly. By demonstrating her mental powers in a brutal way to the Israelis in Tel Aviv, she had been able to convince them that her ability to travel through time was strictly a mental power. This had deterred the Israelis from further trying to steal her secrets, even though they still wished her dead. However, Victor Medveyev didn’t know about her show of mental powers and probably told his tormentors that she had to use a time machine of some sort. She was thus now back at being somebody’s potential prize for kidnapping and interrogation. At the least, the SVR could legitimately charge her with illegal acquisition of Russian military weapons but Nancy doubted that would be the main thing on their minds.

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Her day now mostly ruined, Nancy finished her meal, then washed her plate and utensils while still thinking about how to react to this piece of bad news. At the least, she would have to warn Farah Tolkonen ‘A’, the gentle giant from the 34th Century who had co-founded the Time Patrol with her, in order to discuss possible counter-moves and security measures to deal with this new threat against her. Nancy was not worried about the Russians finding something in her condominium suite, it not containing any future technology. She could not jump by herself all the way five millenniums in the past to the secret base of the Time Patrol, her implanted time distorter inside her body being limited to jumps of about 2,000 years at a time, but she had access to a hidden time scooter. That machine, what the Israelis had been really after without knowing about it, was in a deep subterranean module buried under her cottage by the shore of Lake Manitou, in the Laurentian hills northwest of Montreal. A robotic construction crew had dug up a big hole all the way into the rock layer, then had installed the self-contained module, a cylinder with a diameter and height of twelve meters, before burying it back, with no cable or pipe leading outside it to give away its position. While that work had been done only two years ago by Nancy’s relative clock, in reality it had been all done in the year 3,000 B.C.E., thus leaving ample time for the vegetation to grow back and cover the work site. The final installation of internal systems had however been done in 2012 ‘A’, with robots jumping space-time directly into the millenniums-old buried module to put in the air and water recycling systems, the power generators and the various electronic equipment. If Nancy wanted to make a really long jump to the past or future or, like today, wanted to carry through time a heavy load, she only needed to mentally activate her implanted time distorter, jump to the buried module in the Laurentians and then use the time scooter parked there. With the bulk of her lakeside cottage sitting above the module, even seismic sensors could not detect the module without first destroying utterly her cottage. Her mind made up, Nancy gathered in a large ice box the smoked meat and cheesecake bought in Montreal, then grabbed the ice box in her two hands to jump to her Laurentian module. The cases of beer in her car would have to wait for her follow-up trips. Giving a mental order to the implanted computer connected to her time distorter grafted against the inside face of her spine, she disappeared from her condominium in a brief flash of white light.

19:11 (New Zealand Time)

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Monday, July 18, 3000 BCE (Before Common Era) Scooter Hall, Time Patrol secret base

Future site of Aukland, New Zealand

Nancy appeared in her time scooter in the middle of a big dome-shaped hall, then moved immediately her scooter to a parking area on the periphery, to let the space empty for other scooters to appear. She knew that the base main computer, via its numerous internal sensors and surveillance cameras, had already recorded her arrival, but she still went to the duty desk of the hall, where a man from the Global Council was sitting. Like all the adults from the 34th Century, he was over two meter-tall, was completely bald and had six fingers per hands, the results of a racial genetic mutation effected in order for the Human race to survive the long-term radiations from the catastrophic 2052 Nuclear Genocide which had nearly wiped-out Humanity. The man smiled with genuine happiness at seeing her as she approached.

‘’Hello, Nancy! How are things in Montreal?’’

‘’Well, Jens, until I caught some bad news on television. Where could I find Farah ‘A’ at this hour?’’

‘’I believe that she is at the Timeless Club, with Mike and Ingrid ‘B’.’’

‘’Perfect! Could I borrow a cargo plate, so that I could unload the beer, smoked meat and cheesecake I bought in Montreal?’’

Jens’ eyes widened at the mention of ‘smoked meat’.

‘’Yes! We were out of smoked meat at the cafeteria. I will call in a robotic cargo plate.’’

‘’Thanks, Jens.’’

A robotic cargo plate showed up in less than a minute, allowing Nancy to transfer her beer and foodstuff from her scooter and onto the plate. Using one of the elevator cabins of the Scooter Hall, she first went up to the level of the main cafeteria, dropping her smoked meat and cheesecakes in the hands of the chief-cook there, then went on up to the level of the Timeless Club, the social club used by the members of the Time Patrol. Her entrance with her cargo plate in tow inside the large room attracted welcoming waves of the hand by Ingrid Weiss ‘B’, sitting at a table with Nancy’s husband, Mike Crawford ‘B’, and with Farah Tolkonen ‘A’.

‘’NANCY, WE’RE HERE!’’

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Nancy smiled to her adopted daughter, a very beautiful teenager with reddish-brown hair and big blue eyes.

‘’Let me just drop these cases of Unibroue brand beers at the bar first, then I will be with you.’’

‘’DID YOU GET SOME CASES OF ‘MAUDITE’, NANCY?’’ shouted from another table Otto Skorzeny ‘B’, who was having a beer with two other members of his assault team. Nancy grinned, knowing that the big, ex-Waffen SS officer particularly

appreciated that brand of Quebec beer.

‘’I GOT FOUR OF THEM JUST FOR YOU, OTTO.’’

The big, powerful Austrian grinned and made a thumbs up signal at those words. Taking three minutes to unload her cases of beer behind the bar, Nancy then sent away the robotic cargo plate and walked to the table occupied by her family and Farah, hugging and kissing all three occupants. Mike Crawford ‘B’, a tall American from Montana with the build of a professional football player, squeezed her in his powerful arms while kissing her.

‘’Are you done for your period in 2014 Montreal, Nancy?’’

‘’Not yet, Mike. I came by to drop some beer and smoked meat I bought in Montreal and to give Farah some news.’’

‘’Good or bad news, Nancy?’’ asked cautiously Farah Tolkonen ‘A’, knowing too well how trouble followed Nancy, through no fault of her own. Nancy made a grimace.

‘’Potentially bad, Farah: the Russians may now know about me being a time traveler.’’

Nancy then spent two minutes telling Farah about the demise of Victor Medveyev, with Mike and Ingrid listening on with growing alarm. At the end of it, Farah shook her head in discouragement.

‘’If this keeps going on, I am going to have to design special robotic bodyguard probes just for you, Nancy. Look, if the Russians try to play rough with you, I won’t mind if you deal decisively with them, as long as it is made discreetly and without leaving a suspicious trace. While we don’t want to interfere with the history of the 21st Century of Timeline ‘A’, I can live with secret spy wars. Just don’t go and kill the head of the Russian secret services, please.’’

‘’Don’t worry about that, Farah. I am not that crazy.’’

‘’That should reassure me.’’ replied Farah, making a face that made Ingrid giggle.

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‘’Nancy, crazy? Never! She’s just an adrenaline junkie mixed with a sex maniac.’’

‘’Look who’s talking!’’ replied Nancy, smiling. ‘’Haven’t you burned out yet your nice young husband?’’

‘’Tom is doing just fine and keeps asking for more, thank you very much. In fact, I arranged a special night for his last birthday: I invited my timeline twin, Ingrid ‘A’, to gang up with me on him, so he got double pleasure that night.’’ Mike Crawford ‘B’ made a face at that.

‘’I don’t know if I could survive a night with two Nancys. I’m tough, but not that tough.’’

‘’You will have to wait another seventeen years before trying that, my dear husband: Nancy ‘B’ is still only one-year-old.’’

The mention of little Nancy Laplante ‘B’, saved on her first day in life from CIA assassins intent on preventing the rise of the British Empire in the now rewritten Timeline ‘B’, made Ingrid ‘B’ remember something that saddened her.

‘’And Nancy ‘C’ lived for only a fraction of a second, time to be killed by an Imperium guard in 1941 ‘B’ and thus cause the creation of Timeline ‘C’. My timeline twin there must have been devastated when she learned of Nancy ‘C’s death.’’

The four of them stayed silent for a moment, reflecting on the short and sad fate of Nancy ‘C’, before Farah spoke up, looking at Nancy.

‘’Nancy, there are some news from the Global Council concerning the members of the Imperium who were captured by us following the destruction of the ROYAL SOVEREIGN. The Global Administrator, Tomi Kern, was contacted by the British government of 1942 concerning them, since the British were holding a few Imperium prisoners since their raid against Buckingham Palace. Basically, King George and the British government are ready and willing to let those Imperium members who would wish so to stay and live in Great Britain. When Tomi Kern informed me of this, I in turn offered to contribute some of our gold reserves to help relocate at least the surviving members of the Imperium royal family, their household staff and their royal guards. While King Stan, one of our main opponents in our conflict, is now dead, that leaves his six mistresses and multiple children without a permanent place to live and with no long-term financial support. Up to now, they have been living in a hotel in New Lake City, with the Global Council paying the bills for them, but a more permanent arrangement

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needed to be found. As you know, Miri Goshenk and the other mistresses of King Stan, along with their children, are not bad persons. In fact, Miri strenuously opposed King Stan’s decision to go to war against us and even left him to return to normal civilian life. She was aboard the ROYAL SOVEREIGN simply because King Stan pleaded with her to come and be saved from being erased by our actions. Prince Len, on his side, is a truly sweet and kind teenage boy who has a passion for History and who has requested to join the Time Patrol in order to study History and work with us in documenting it. All in all, I agreed with Tomi Kern that the Imperium royal family was worthy of help. I then sent a scoutship with an action team and robots to the past to go get more sunken treasures dating from the Early and Late Renaissance. While he was gone from our time period for only one hour, Jack Crawford and his team spent over a week playing treasure hunters around the Caribbeans, watching Spanish galleons being sunk and then diving to recuperate the gold, silver and gems they were carrying. Let’s say that his mission was a huge success. Our other members are now calling him ‘Jack the Pirate’.’’ Nancy giggled on hearing that, then asked a question to Farah.

‘’So, how much worth was that loot he recuperated from those sunken galleons, Farah?’’

‘’How about the equivalent of 3.6 billion solars in gold, silver and gems, mostly emeralds?’’

That number made Nancy’s jaw drop.

‘’That much?! But that’s an equivalent value to eleven billion 2014 ‘A’ American dollars! You could buy a nuclear aircraft carrier for that kind of money. So, what kind of new home and where will be bought for the Imperium royal family?’’

‘’Well, King George the Sixth had an idea about that and, with us willing to foot the bill, the British government approved it. Part of the treasures we fished out will also be used to create a substantial trust fund and pension fund to help the Imperium royals sustain a reasonable level of living while in 1942 ‘B’ England. Also, part of those riches will be spent by the Global Council on helping the reconstruction of homes in England and Europe, while a smaller portion will be used to help other Imperium survivors resettle in the society of the Global Council.’’

Nancy nodded her head slowly, appreciating that help program.

‘’That will be money well spent, Farah.’’

19:14 (Great Lakes Time)

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Thursday, July 13, 3386 ‘A’

Dining room of the Hotel Michigan

New Lake City, North American Great Lakes

Global Council

Miri Goshenk was eating supper with the five other Imperium mistresses and their fifteen children in the dining room of the hotel where they had been lodged after the destruction of the ROYAL SOVEREIGN when she saw Global Administrator Tomi Kern enter the dining room, accompanied by her husband Boran Kern and by none other than King George the Sixth of England and little Princess Margaret Windsor. The four of them then walked to her table, prompting Miri in putting down her fork and in wiping her mouth clean before smiling to them.

‘’Global Administrator Kern, King George, what brings you here?’’ With the other Imperium royals understanding at once that this could be very important for them, they all stopped eating and listened intently at Kern’s answer.

‘’Good news for you, First Lady Miri: the governments of the Global Council and of Great Britain have come to an agreement on how and where you and the other survivors from the ROYAL SOVEREIGN will be accommodated on a more permanent basis. Basically, the crewmembers of the ROYAL SOVEREIGN who wishes so will be able to establish themselves among the society of the Global Council, with funds allotted to help them build new lives and integrate themselves into our society. Those crewmembers who will ask to live in 1942 England will also be able to do so and will also be supported. Some of you who have stated a wish to join the Time Patrol and who will be accepted by Farah Tolkonen and Nancy Laplante will also become citizens of the Global Council and will be directly supported by the Time Patrol as full members. I can tell you already that your son, Prince Len, will be most welcomed to join the Time Patrol as assistant historian.’’

‘’YES!’’ exclaimed Len on hearing that, making both Boran Kern and young Princess Margaret smile. Boran then spoke to Len while patting the shoulder of Margaret Windsor.

‘’Princess Margaret gave us a warm recommendation about you, stating that you are already a scholar in History and never showed any hostility towards either Great Britain or the Time Patrol. In turn, Doctor Tolkonen and Nancy Laplante are ready to

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greet you with open arms, along with a few members of the Imperium who also stated the wish to join the Time Patrol.’’

‘’And...the rest of the royal family? What is awaiting us?’’ asked Miri,

apprehensive. That only made the smiles of her visitors widen, with King George answering her.

‘’Well, the House of Windsor has a well-established history of helping other royals from Europe who are living difficult times, Lady Miri. I have already arranged something concerning the whole Imperium family, its household staff and surviving royal guards, with the Time Patrol helping financially to acquire a suitable property for your family and staff. First off, I realize that you must have lost the little personal belongings which you had on the ROYAL SOVEREIGN when you were forced to evacuate the ship on short notice. Have you been able to get new clothes since then?’’

‘’Yes! The Global Council was very generous in giving us funds two days ago, so that we could go shopping for clothes and personal articles in the boutiques and shops of New Lake City.’’

‘’Excellent! Then, we will able to move you to 1942 ‘B’ England tomorrow morning, Lady Miri.’’

‘’Can I ask where exactly, Your Majesty?’’ asked Len. ‘’It is not in the Tower of London, I hope?’’

King George grinned at that, while Princess Margaret giggled.

‘’No, it will not be the Tower of London, Prince Len. That place would feel like a prison for you and your family, something that it was actually until very recently. If you don’t mind, I would like to stay mum about this and to keep it a surprise to you. However, I can tell you that it will be a nice surprise.’’

‘’Very well, King George.’’ said Miri, now devoured by curiosity. ‘’We will wait until you spring your surprise tomorrow morning.’’

08:22 (London Time)

Thursday, July 02, 1942 ‘B’

Time Patrol heavy shuttle HERMES

On descent over Wales, United Kingdom

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‘’The Castle of Cardiff: the new home of the Imperium royal family, Lady Miri.’’ said King George the Sixth in a happy tone.

Miri, like the other Imperium royals, was left stunned as she looked outside through a window of their heavy shuttle as it was on approach to land. The other mistresses and their children in turn gasped as they looked at the old medieval castle, which consisted of a motte-and-bailey keep with a squarish fortification wall with various buildings and towers enclosing a large inner courtyard mostly covered with grass and a few trees. A moat full of water surrounded the castle. As for Prince Len, he immediately became highly excited and spoke up in a near shout.

‘’CARDIFF CASTLE: THE ANCESTRAL CASTLE OF OUR FAMILY! It was demolished a few centuries before our time but pictures of it survived into our archives. Uh, I can see that the Keep atop its hill is now an empty shell, Your Majesty. In what state is the rest of the castle?’’

‘’Do not worry, Prince Len: the buildings and towers along the walls have been restored and maintained along the centuries and, until a couple of days, were the property of the Fourth Marquess of Bute, who spent a fortune along the decades on renovating and decorating it. Only the old stone keep, which dates back to the late 11th Century, was not rebuilt and is now a tourist attraction. The other buildings and towers all have modern amenities, like electricity, water and plumbing, but their medieval has

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been kept. The more recent renovations, dating from a few decades, were made in the Gothic Revival style, with some stunning internal decorations.’’

‘’How did you manage to acquire such a huge historical property so quickly, King George?’’ asked Miri. ‘’It must have cost a fortune to buy it.’’

‘’It did cost a fortune, while more money will be be spent to replace some of the furniture with more modern pieces able to fit Imperium adults, Lady Miri.’’ answered King George. ‘’However, the Time Patrol provided the funds for its acquisition and for new furniture. It also has set a trust and pension fund for your family, so that you could live reasonably well right from the start. We do realize that your family basically lost everything and will now live in a completely new environment. We did not expect or demand for you and your family to simply get dumped in Cardiff and then ask you to swim or sink while living in poverty. Apart from providing to you funds to live and to maintain this new residence, you will have six aircars and two airvans allotted to you by the Global Council, so that you won’t be simply stuck here as virtual prisoners of this castle. In fact, your whole family is invited to come attend Princess Margaret’s twelfth birthday at Buckingham Palace, on August 21. As for how we were able to acquire this castle on such short notice, let’s just say that the previous owner, the aging Marquess of Bute, was facing quite a few heavy debts, while his son was contemplating very heavy death duties on inheriting the castle, duties he could not possibly pay. So, when Mister Kern, who is in charge of personnel and supplies for the Time Patrol, visited him with a few hundred pounds of gold and asked to buy the castle, the good Marquess took the gold and signed his castle and his remaining lands and properties away. As they say, ‘money talks’.’’

‘’A few hundred pounds of gold?’’ exclaimed Miri. ‘’Where did the Time Patrol find such a fortune? Did it come from the Global Council, King George?’’

‘’Actually, it came from the Caribbean, Lady Miri.’’

‘’Uh, I don’t understand. Are your British colonies in the Caribbean that rich?’’ King George heartily laughed at that question before answering her.

‘’Hardly, Lady Miri. That gold, with other riches, came from old Spanish treasure ships traveling to Spain around the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries and which either sank in storms or were sunk after being attacked by pirates or privateers, like our own Sir Francis Drake, while sailing through the Caribbean. Since it has ways to know where exactly such ships sank, the Time Patrol was able to go dive on those wrecks and recuperate their precious cargo of gold, silver and gems, mere hours or days after their

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sinking. So, in a way, your family will be living off of old Spanish lost treasures. Mister Kern will be able to tell you more about this later.’’

‘’Sunken treasure ships! Wow!’’ said Prince Len, impressed, before realizing something. ‘’Hey, this would mean that the Time Patrol could easily locate more treasure ships around the World and thus recuperate a lot more gold, right?’’

‘’Hundreds of tons of gold and silver, Prince Len.’’ answered Boran Kern with a smile. ‘’However, those sunken treasures will be used to help people in need and to rebuild countries which will have suffered through wars or natural catastrophes, and not to enrich our agents. One of the first goals for us will be to help the Jewish population of Europe, which horribly suffered during the recent war. Over a million European Jews were massacred by the Germans, while millions more lost everything and, too often, are not wanted anymore in their countries of birth. Poland is a sad example of such a state of affairs and Nancy Laplante is firmly resolved to help correct that problem, with the help and collaboration of Great Britain and other countries.’’ That somewhat cooled the joy Miri felt at seeing a new home such as Cardiff Castle being offered to her family. She was then mostly silent as Boran Kern described quickly Cardiff Castle to her and her family as the shuttle did its approach and landed on the grass of the outer bailey.

With the stern access ramp coming down seconds after the landing, the passengers walked out on the grass of the outer bailey, closely followed by the two anti-gravity cargo platform

carrying the luggage of

the Imperium royal

family and of their

household staff and

royal guards, totaling

34, plus King George

the Sixth, Princess

Margaret, Boran Kern

and four British royal

bodyguards. The group then started walking towards the main lodging building of the castle as King George spoke further.

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‘’We are now walking towards the main lodging building of the castle, which is lining the inside of the western wall of the castle and which will house your royal family.

‘’We are now going to visit first the main lodging building, where your family will have its quarters. Visible to the left of it, at the southwest corner of the castle, is the Clock Tower, which contains

a number of luxurious

lounges and rooms, notably

the Smoking Room, a two-

story lounge which is quite

extravagant in terms of

decorating and utter luxury. I

know that the people of the

Imperium didn’t smoke

tobacco but the Smoking

Room to play cards or other society gages while guests are in attendance.’’ King George then paused until the group was

inside the main lodging building, whose two

stories had high, decorated ceilings. One of

the first rooms on the ground floor which the

group visited left Miri and her family gawking

at its décor.

‘’The Banqueting Hall, where you will be able to receive large groups of guests for

meals. There is also a much smaller dining

room, where you will be able to have your

meals in more intimacy.’’

‘’But this is nearly as luxurious as our

Imperium Palace in 3386 London.’’ said Lady

Jane, one of the five

Junior mistresses of the Imperium, while

admiring the large stained-glass windows, the

high vaulted ceiling with their thick wooden beams and the paintings decorating the walls. ‘’We should be as comfortable here as in our own London palace.’’

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‘’Comfortable, maybe, Lady Jane, but here you won’t have access to a Worldwide information network.’’ replied Boran Kern. The most you will be able to watch and listen to will be the BBC radio and television services, with the latter still very much in its infancy. However, the Global Council will provide you a wide library of modern music and visual entertainment and documentary recordings. For those of you who love old-fashioned books, the Marquess of Bute was convinced, in exchange of an extra one million pounds, to leave behind his extensive collection of old books kept in the castle’s library, keeping for himself only his favorite books. I bet that Prince Len will end up spending many hours in the library, his nose buried in old books.’’

‘’Uh, what about the beds in this castle, Mister Kern?’’ asked Prince Sten, one of the four children of Miri. ‘’On average, persons from the Imperium were on average a good forty centimeters taller than persons from the 20th Century. Will we fit in the present beds of will we have to procure larger beds?’’

‘’A judicious question. Let’s go upstairs to the bedrooms and find out.’’

Going up to the

upper floor via a large

varnished wood staircase,

the group soon entered

one of the master

bedrooms of the castle.

While the room proved to

be well decorated, to the

point of exuberance, and looked comfortable, the Imperium men and women looked critically at the bed.

‘’Uh, it could be a tight fit, I believe.’’ said Prince Sten. Reacting to that remark, Miri went to the bed and lay on it, finding out that both her head and her feet touched both ends of the bed frame.

‘’We could still sleep in those beds, if we bend our knees, but that won’t be very comfortable in the long run. Do you have bigger beds that this in England, King George?’’

‘’Uh, the only beds I saw in London which would fit you are the royal beds furnishing King’s House in the Tower of London: King Henry the Eight like to do things big for his residences and the royal beds in his palaces were made really large, for his

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convenience. I could also check with the more luxurious hotels in London, which often go overboard in opulence and extravagance.’’

‘’I will go right away to London and go try to find extra-size beds, Your Majesty.’’ offered Boran Kern at once, making King George nod his head in approval and look at one of his bodyguards.

‘’Nigel, go with Mister Kern and visit with him both the Tower of London and our most prestigious London hotels. If the beds in the Tower of London prove of adequate size, then we will exchange them with the beds presently in Cardiff Castle. Their old style will fit better with this castle’s style than modern hotel beds.’’

‘’Yes, Your Majesty!’’

As Boran Kern, accompanied by the British royal bodyguard and by a male servant of Lady Miri Goshenk, left, King George smiled to the remaining members of the Imperium royal family and their staff.

‘’Well, with luck, you may sleep your first night in Cardiff tonight. If you don’t mind, we will now continue this guided tour of the castle. There is still much to see, believe me.’’

When King George and the members of the Imperium took time for a lunch-break after a good three hours of walking around the castle and climbing stairs, they decided to go out of the castle and go in

one of the nearby restaurants in

Cardiff, as the kitchens of Cardiff

Castle were presently empty of

both cooking staff and fresh food.

On their way out via the South

Gate of the castle, they were a

bit surprised to see that the

heavy shuttle HERMES was no

longer sitting on the grass of the outer bailey, making King George speculate.

‘’Hmm, maybe Mister Kern didn’t find any bed of adequate size in London and decided to go look around the Global Council.’’

‘’That could very well be, King George.’’ said Miri Goshenk. ‘’After all, the people of the Global Council are about the same size as the people of the Imperium.’’

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‘’It makes sense, actually. Since they are using a time-capable shuttle, they would also be able to take days for their search if need be and still be back today with your new beds. Well, let’s find a good restaurant close to the castle.’’

Going out through the South Gate, which was flanked by the Black Tower and the Barbican Tower, the group found itself on Castle Street, where King George decided to go across and go down High Street, which quickly became Saint Mary Street, where they found a plentiful choice of restaurants and pubs. King George then sent one of his bodyguards to go visit quickly a number of those restaurants, to see if their tables and chairs would be able to accommodate Imperium-sized persons. The bodyguard came back after visiting the third restaurant.

‘’This one will do, Your Majesty: the owner is going to reserve one half of his dining room for our group.’’

‘’Excellent! PLEASE FOLLOW ME INSIDE, MY FRIENDS!’’

When the group walked inside the Indian restaurant, which advertised a self-serve buffet, the customers seating and eating in it froze in astonishment and stared at the group for a moment. King George couldn’t tell then if he was the source of their astonishment or if the Imperium people were: very few British people had seen giants from the 34th Century up to now. The fact that all the giants were completely bald and had six fingers per hand only added to the momentary stupor. However, those same customers then showed the phlegm typical of British people and quickly concentrated back their attention on their plate, albeit with discreet side-looks and whispered comments made. Thankfully the tables and chairs in the restaurant proved able to accommodate those giants...barely. King George then lined up with his group at the self-serve counter after ordering drinks and filled his plate, choosing curry rice, lamb, vegetables and Nan bread. Miri Goshenk, unfamiliar with that type of cuisine, took the counsels of Princess Margaret in choosing her own food, then returned to sit at her table. She and the other members of the Imperium royal family and household soon agreed that they liked their food and ate with gusto, washing down their meals with either wine or beer. King George’s senior bodyguard, who routinely carried large sums of cash to cover the traveling expenses of his monarch, took care of paying the big bill for the group at the end of the meal, adding a generous tip on the request of King George.

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With the members of the Imperium commenting favorably on their meals as they walked out on the sidewalk with King George, they were soon entering back Cardiff Castle via the South Gate. There, they saw that the HERMES was back on the grass of the outer bailey, attracting a comment from Princess Margaret.

‘’Either Mister Kern did things fast in 2286 or he spent a few days there, jumping time to return here after a few minutes, Father.’’

That remark made King George look down and smile at his younger daughter.

‘’Decidedly, you seem to understand better than me the subtilities of time travel, Margaret.’’

‘’Not as much as Elizabeth, Father. Why did she choose to stay with the Time Patrol, instead of resuming her place as heir presumptive, Father?’’

‘’Because she fully understands the reasons for Nancy Laplante to save her from that V-2 missile strike, only to then refuse to return to London, Margaret. Nobody then could have predicted that a war with the Imperium would soon follow. Now, as Overseer of Japan, she has the chance to do some immense good, by guiding the Japanese people and society away from its militaristic tendencies and towards true democracy after World War 2. Personally, I fully agree with her choice, although I terribly miss her these days. As my heir, she would have eventually become Queen but then would have ended up in a purely honorific job with little to no real powers. As I said once, if the Parliament voted to execute me, I would have no choice but to sign my own death warrant.’’

Margaret lowered her head then in disillusionment.

‘’So, I will be the one ending with the titles and no power. Great! I probably won’t be able to choose my own husband when I will be an adult.’’ Miri Goshenk felt empathy for Margaret then and gently patted her back.

‘’Do not feel so bad, Margaret: the life of a royal does have its good sides.’’

When their group entered the Main Lodging Building, they had to let pass a dozen work robots who were carrying out the disassembled pieces of the original beds which had furnished the bedrooms in Cardiff Castle, attracting a comment from Colonel Xitak, the head of the Imperium royal guards.

‘’Well, it seems that Mister Kern exercised good diligence and did find adequate new beds for us in the Global Council.’’

‘’It seems so.’’ said Miri. ‘’Let’s go upstairs and see what he bought for us.’’

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Climbing the main staircase to the upper floor, the group soon entered the master bedroom previously occupied by the Marquess of Bute, finding both Boran Kern and two work robots around a new and very large bed. That bed, while obviously of new construction, did use varnished and polished wooden boards and frames, giving them a look that didn’t detract excessively from the rest of the bedroom. Kern smiled on seeing Miri and her group enter.

‘’Aaah, just in time! Could you lay down and try this new bed, Lady Miri?’’

‘’With pleasure, Mister Kern!’’

Miri then laid down on the large mattress, made for two occupants, and smiled nearly at once.

‘’This is perfect! This could have fit well in my old Imperium palace. We’re in business, people. Well done, Mister Kern.’’

‘’Excellent! Now that this problem has been taken care of, there is one thing left to show you: let’s go to the private dining room next door.’’

Walking into the adjacent room, with its small table for four and its large fireplace, the group found that the table supported some twenty flat boxes made of polished rare wood, plus six small, squarish boxes, also made of rare wood. Going to the table and standing next to it, Boran Kern smiled to the members of the royal family, looking in particular at Miri Goshenk.

‘’As you were told previously, the Time Patrol found the riches used partially to buy this castle for you in the depths of the Caribbean Sea, inside sunken Spanish treasure ships. However, while most of those riches consisted of bars and coins of either gold or silver, those treasure chests also contained sets of jewelry destined for the Spanish royals and aristocracy of the Early and Late Renaissance. Many of those jewels were too beautiful to be simply broken apart and melted down, so Nancy Laplante decided to save them for another purpose. We may have caused the Imperium to be erased but we didn’t do it lightheartedly, realizing that that war was mostly the fault of one man: General Veck. King Stan also proved to be a brave opponent, sacrificing himself in order to give a chance for the crew of his flagship to evacuate, and this by personally taking the commands of the ROYAL SOVEREIGN during its final dive. This is to say that we do not consider you as enemies and do respect you as individuals. I and the Time Patrol would thus be happy if you would kindly accept a few gifts from us meant to facilitate the start of your new lives in 1942 England.’’

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Once that was said, Boran Kern then opened one by one the flat boxes and small chests laid on the table, attracting a concert of gasps and admiring exclamations. Each flat box contained a set of jewels consisting of a rich necklace or pendant, a pair of earrings, a tiara, a ring and one or two bracelets, made of gold and either emeralds, rubies, diamonds, amethysts, aquamarines, sapphires or opals. There were also standalone pieces of jewelry, like crosses and broches, also made of gold inserted with gems.

‘’All those jewels and gems were cleaned up and restored to their ancient splendor by a team of expert jewelers from the Global Council. Before I distribute these jewels around, I would like to have Princess Margaret and Senior Mistress Miri Goshenk come forward, please.’’

Little Margaret had her heart beat with excitement as she stepped forward with Miri, eyeing the magnificent jewels and gems exposed on the table. Boran Kern then presented her one of the opened flat boxes, which contained a beautiful gold and emerald cross pendant.

‘’Nancy wanted you to have this gold and emerald cross pendant, Your Highness, to salute your courage during your ordeal in the Imperium. With you having been raised as a Christian, she thought that a cross would be an appropriate gift for you.’’ Margaret, her mouth wide open, took the box and admired for a few seconds the jewel before grinning at Boran.

‘’It is beautiful! Please thank Nancy on my behalf, Mister Kern.’’

‘’I certainly will, Your Highness.’’ said Boran before looking at Miri

Goshenk. ‘’Lady Miri, as the Senior Mistress of the Imperium, I will let you

choose first the set of jewels of your choice, plus six gems of your choice and

four small bars of gold, so that you could later have customized jewels made for

you in the future.’’

King George then jumped in.

‘’As invited guests for the upcoming birthday party of Princess Margaret, I would love to see you and your family show up in proper royal attires, Lady Goshenk.’’

‘’I...I don’t know what to say, truly: two days ago, I was expecting no better than to be retired with my family into anonymity and insignificance. Now, we are treated like visiting royals.’’

‘’But you are more than mere visiting royals, my dear Lady Goshenk: you are royals who are now permanent residents of my kingdom and guests of the Crown of

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England.’’ said King George, smiling. A happy Miri then kissed King George on both cheeks before Boran Kern spoke to her.

‘’You may now call forward in order of royal protocol the other Mistresses, then your children, so that they could each choose either a set or a standalone piece, plus four gems of their choice and two small bars of gold.’’

That part of the gift distribution actually took a while, with the mistresses often having a hard time deciding on what set of jewels to pick, so beautiful each of the sets were. Boran Kern finally smiled to the male members of the family and of the Imperium royal household, including Colonel Xitak and his fourteen surviving royal guards.

‘’While I realize that men from the Imperium may find those jewels too effeminate to wear on yourselves, you may instead each take four small bars of gold, which you will then be free to use at your convenience to buy personal luxury items. As for the remaining gems and gold and silver not already picked up, they will constitute the financial reserves of the Imperium family. Know that, apart from this castle, the adjoining Bute Park, Castle Mews and Coopers Field, which also belonged to the Marquess of Bute and were acquired by us at the same time as this castle, are now properties of your family. I would however urge you to keep the access to these properties and to this castle open to the public, except of course for the private facilities to be used by you. That will help you gain the acceptance and sympathy of the citizens of Cardiff.’’

‘’That goes without saying, Mister Kern.’’ replied Miri. Even in its own time, the Imperium Royal family was quite open to the public and was thus quite popular with our citizens, much more so in fact than the majority of the members of the High Council, while the Ministry of Security was both feared and despised.’’

‘’Well,’’ said King George, ‘’now that this is done, I will return to Buckingham Palace to deal with a few important things. I will in turn send you a cooking and maid staff to supplement the few household members who survived the downing of the ROYAL SOVEREIGN. Those new staff members were previously employed by the Marquess of Bute and will be paid and maintained by the British Crown but feel free to improve on their amenities and benefits as you wish.’’

‘’Thank you again, King George. Thank you again as well to you, Mister Kern: you were of tremendous help to us today.’’

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King George, Princess Margaret, the British bodyguards and Boran Kern then left, but not before Boran put down on the table the gun belts which had belonged to the Imperium members, which held stun pistols but no firearms.

‘’So that you could properly guard and defend this castle in a non-lethal way. It is now officially the property of your family and household.’’ Miri Goshenk watched Kern leave, then faced her family and household members with a sober expression.

‘’An old proverb said that the most important thing after having good friends was to have good enemies. Well, we were lucky enough to have good enemies such as the Time Patrol and King George. Now that we are friends with them, let’s respect that new friendship by demonstrating our own good will. Show respect and good manners to the people of this century and, if you have to use force to defend yourselves or this castle, use the minimum force needed. Now, let’s get installed properly in our new home.’’

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